Example

Example of a Valid Extreme Outlier

Extreme outliers do not necessarily indicate measurement errors or misunderstandings; they can sometimes represent honest and accurate estimates of extreme behavior. For example, in a large study of university students (Brown & Sinclair, 1999), the vast majority of participants reported having had fewer than 1515 lifetime sexual partners, but a few participants reported extreme scores of 6060 or 7070. While these could be intentional exaggerations or errors, it is also plausible that they reflect accurate estimates of highly atypical behavior, requiring researchers to carefully consider how to handle them analytically rather than automatically discarding them.

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Updated 2026-05-04

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU